Takara Matthews, a member of the Abenaki Sokoki tribe, is the featured artist at the Institute for American Indian Studies (IAIS) in Washington this month in its corner sale. Her art work, which will be featured from April through May ranges from crafts and jewelries to clothing and beadwork.

Born in Naugatuck, Matthew was raised in Swanton, Vt., and spent much of her childhood deeply involved with the Missisquoi Sokoki tribe. Her mother is Abenaki, Mohawk, and French Canadian; her father African-American, Seminole and Lumbee (a Native American tribe from North Carolina.) As a child, her social life revolved around her heritage and she was involved with many youth groups such as the Dawn Land Youth Group, Circle of Courage Youth Group and W’Abenaki youth camp.

A dancer, she said she has been dancing since she was 4 years old. Now 29, she specializes in traditional and fancy shawl dancing at powwows throughout the Northeast. She said she is the first generation of dancers in her family.

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“I grew up with the powwow community, which included family and extended family and great family friends that I would consider family,” Matthews said.

The young woman said she is proud of her culture and wants people to know about her heritage. Now residing in Vermont, Matthews’ artwork continues to expand throughout New England. She loves bright colors and cutting-edge designs and makes her own dancing outfits, she said, because it was simply too expensive to buy them. Then she started making accessories to go along with her clothes, earrings, jewelries, leggings, all integrated with a theme of nature.

“We love mother nature and the creator. Everything has life ... We want to express how much we appreciate it and love it,” she said. “In a way, we are getting disconnected [from Mother Nature]. Stop for the roses, and enjoy the moment. When I sit there and think about a piece of art, I think about nature and life, and that’s the way I express myself and how I appreciate it.”

One of the dance dresses she made was bright pink with ethnic symbols, stars and rainbows knitted on a light purple vest. The artist said everything she knows is self-taught. She said she finds beadwork hideous work, and that it takes determination and patience to get it done, but she brings her character to bear on the project. She said she has learned not to sweat trivial matters and to always kept going.

She hopes, though, people will get closer to the Native American culture through her work. Her business is doing well, she said during a phone interview, although she admitted to some stage fright when she shows her products to customers, fearing their disappointment.

She said some media portray native people as savages who still hunt for a living, but she isn’t offended. Instead, she gives presentations and dances in schools with her 9-year-old daughter to educate the public.

“We are not just in textbooks or history; we are alive and thriving,” Matthews said, “I live in a house and go shopping. I try to spread the word out there about our culture and art.”

Despite being an artist and a dancer, she is also a combat soldier. Matthews served in the Vermont Air National Guard from the 158th Fighter Wing for seven years. She wanted to protect her land and her people, she said, an idea inculcated through native culture.

Perhaps it is the Native American values planted in her that led Matthews into the military. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, Native Americans “view service, sacrifice, and courage as important values and part of an individual’s journey to becoming a leader, protector, and agent of change for his/her family or tribe.” These values, the website said, are the reasons why Native Americans represent the largest ethnic group per capita in the U.S. military.

Matthews uses her dance and tribal music to honor veterans and military personnel. In one of her previous interviews, she said a powwow is a Native American festival, and everyone is welcome to attend the family-oriented alcohol-free events. “[It’s] a get-together to celebrate one’s culture, heritage and life,” she said.

The dancing is divided into categories yet there is free form as the dancers wait to be moved by the music from singers gathered around a large drum. “It is a great way to meet new friends and to reconnect with old ones with singing, dancing, and food,” she said.

Matthews is currently focused on preparing performances for her upcoming shows in the summer and fall. “There are few dancers of my generation in Vermont who I meet out on the powwow trail,” she said. “I wish there was honestly, but I will say that [looking back on] the years when the Abenaki were losing their heritage, we are happy to bring it back and to be proud of who we are and what we do and how we do it.”

Dance gave her femininity; military service made her tough—and the powwow community has made her trusting. Matthews said she has a traditional view of commercial transactions and simply takes people’s word for it if they say they will pay her later and give her a handshake as a promise.

But there is a safeguard in that ethos. She said the powwow community is small—if someone were to take her product with a promise to pay later and then failed to do so, she would run into them again sooner or later. At that second meeting, she would ask them to return the product to her, she said.

“In the powwow community, you want your reputation to be good. You don’t want to be branded as ‘That’s the guy didn’t pay the artist,’” Matthew said.

Reach Shako Liu at 860-489-3121 ext. 316.

About the Author

Shako Liu covers the towns of Litchfield, Warren, Goshen and Morris for The Register Citizen and Litchfield County Times. Reach the author at sliu@registercitizen.com
or follow Shako on Twitter: shako_liu.